Minutes
Printable Version
Summary of
Alliance for a Better Columbia (ABC)
Board of Directors Meeting
September 15, 2008
The first item on the agenda was a discussion of the follow-up to a response received from the CA President to ABC’s letter inquiring about employee fringe benefits. Ms. Brown’s letter raised several issues related to take-home cars awarded to 12 staff members as well the possibility of private use of motor pool vehicles. ABC intends to question the need for take-home cars when motor pool cars are available as well as the CA practice of reporting mileage allowances as compensation on employees’ W-2 forms, which would indicate the cars are not being driven for official CA business.
The second item was an update on the ABC complaint against CA which was filed with the State’s Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office is unlikely to intervene in the matter of past violations of CA’s Charter resulting from the Board’s delegation of responsibility for the granting of easements to the CA President. ABC’s position is that the Board should re-consider the President’s granting to the developer of the Plaza Tower an easement bordering Little Patuxent Parkway for the sum of $10,000 without seeking an independent appraisal of the property in question. The CA Board has been reluctant to revisit this issue.
The next item was IT contracting procedures. There is still no working module for the CSS contract (a web-based system for reserving CA facilities) after several delays and cost over-runs. The Board decided that a follow-up letter to CA asking about the status of this contract would be in order. In addition, there still appears to be considerable ambiguity in the recently revised Procurement Regulations’ definition of contract labor. ABC has informed the board of the need to tighten up the definition to avoid a repeat of the experience in the Timekeeping System Contract, where an independent consultant was paid about $60,000 to write the software without a competitive bidding process. ABC intends to raise this issue before the Performance Oversight Committee.
The last item was a discussion of the ABC strategy regarding the GGP Plan for Downtown Columbia and the Kimco Plan for Wilde Lake Village Center. Zoning Rules Amendment 102, which gives planning authority over the village centers to their owners, is scheduled to go before the Planning Board in the near future. In the past, the Rouse Company had been delegated this authority by the county. This amendment has caused a considerable amount of concern among residents of Wilde Lake, who have questioned Kimco’s plan for replacing the existing village center with a high-rise building containing 500 residences geared toward the high end of the housing market. ABC will coordinate its strategy with the Coalition for Columbia Downtown, headed by Alan Klein.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 11 (Saturday) at 1:00 PM.
About the Alliance for a Better Columbia. . .
Printable Version
A better Columbia is the goal of us all. But, as individuals acting alone, it’s usually hard to persuade the powers-that-be to make the changes that are necessary.
That’s why a group of concerned Columbia residents founded the Alliance for a Better Columbia (ABC) back in 1987. They saw the need for an independent grass-roots organization that could make a difference on issues that residents care the most about. Since then, many people have joined ABC to work together and serve as a strong voice for the residents of Columbia.
The mission of ABC, as a citizens organization, is to:
- Listen to the community and understand residents’ desires and concerns.
- Track issues affecting Columbia’s residents, especially those issues that involve Columbia Association management and Columbia Council/CA Board of Directors policies, actions, and public statements.
- Inform people about Columbia issues and decisions, serve as an advocate for Columbia residents’ priorities, interests, and concerns, and make appropriate recommendations for action to achieve a better community.
Through the years, most of ABC’s attention has focused on making CA more responsive to residents’ needs. We’ve made some good headway through the years, particularly when some of our members and supporters were elected to serve on CA’s governing body, the Columbia Council. However, there remains widespread concern about the way CA currently operates, which means that ABC’s efforts are needed now more than ever.
Looking forward, ABC will be recommending ways to make CA’s facilities and programs more affordable, opposing any attempts to close or convert our neighborhood pools, pressing for reforms in Columbia’s governance structure, and tackling any other Columbia-related issues that you and other residents feel are important.
We appreciate your interest and hope that you will choose ABC as the civic organization that you will support this year. Please press the “JOIN US” button on our home page and do your part in making a better Columbia.
Commentary
Over the past 21 years, many ABC members have stepped forward as candidates in
Columbia Council elections. And, this year was no exception. Our ABC President, Alex
Hekimian, decided to throw his hat in the ring in Oakland Mills, and in a close race he
won!
There were contested elections for Columbia Council in four villages this year, and here
are the latest vote tallies:
| Oakland Mills |
Alex Hekimian |
— |
270 |
|
Phil Engelke |
— |
262 |
| Harper’s Choice |
Cindy Coyle |
— |
315 |
|
Lynda Maxwell |
— |
200 |
| Wilde Lake |
Phil Kirsch |
— |
260 |
|
Linda Odum |
— |
225 |
| Town Center |
Suzanne Waller |
— |
134 |
|
Steve Meskin |
— |
121 |
While we savor our victories, we know that the composition of the Columbia Council/CA
Board of Directors is still not what it should be, and that our work on behalf of Columbia’s
residents is needed now more than ever. In that vein, we ask each of you to continue to
support ABC’s efforts by continuing your membership. Also, since we have a lot of
talented and knowledgeable people in ABC, we would appreciate your stepping forward
and helping in any way you can in the work of our organization.
In advance of our upcoming meeting, we are enclosing a nomination form for members
who wish to serve on our Board of Directors in the upcoming year. You may fill out the
form and bring it to the May 5 meeting. We look forward to another exciting year!
So many of our dreams at first seem impossible,
then they seem improbable, and then,
when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.
Christopher Reeve
Join Us
Printable Version
Columbia residents have a highly effective citizens organization, the Alliance for a Better Columbia. And, here is an opportunity to try us out.
We offer you a trial membership for 6 months for only $5. It’s a good way for you to see how we handle issues that Columbia’s residents care a lot about.
Looking forward, ABC will be pressing for some initiatives to reform Columbia’s governance structure, opposing any attempts to close or convert our neighborhood pools, recommending ways to make CA’s recreational facilities more affordable, and tackling any other Columbia-related issues that you and our other members feel are important.
We welcome your participation in ABC, so please send us this form with your check payable to:
Alliance for a Better Columbia, P.O. Box 735, Columbia, MD 21045
Thank you.
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Yes, I want to accept your trial offer of a 6-month membership in ABC |
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Talent Search
Do you have skill and experience that you would want to share with us,
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Related Links
The Columbia Association, Columbia, Maryland
Columbia's Village Associations, Howard County, Maryland
Howard County, Maryland, Government Services
The Baltimore Sun, Howard County, Online Newspaper
The Columbia Flier, Howard County, Online Newspaper
The Washington Post, Howard County, Online Newspaper
The Baltimore Examiner, Howard County, Online Newspaper
Contact Us
| ABC President |
Email |
President@ABetterColumbia.org |
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Snail Mail |
President, Alliance for a Better Columbia
P.O. Box 735
Columbia, MD 21045
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| Board of Directors |
President |
Joel Yesley
11604 Lakewater Ln.
Columbia, MD 21044
410-730-0428
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Vice-President |
Barry Blyveis
6392 Wishing Bridge
Columbia, MD 21045
410-381-3734
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Treasurer |
Tom Scott
5070 Whetstone Rd.
Columbia, MD 21044
410-997-0572
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Secretary |
Open
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Tom Laufer
6252 Kind Rain
Columbia, MD 21045
410-997-0694
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Ginger Scott
5070 Whetstone Rd.
Columbia, MD 21044
410-997-0572
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Joel Pearlman
9410 Book Row
Columbia, MD 21046
301-498-3190
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| ABC Webmaster |
Email |
WebMaster@ABetterColumbia.org |
